WBB Game Notes: Unbeaten Georgia Hosts Georgia State

Thursday, December 17

Athens, Ga.

7:00 PM

University of Georgia

Georgia State

WBB Game Notes: Unbeaten Georgia Hosts Georgia State

December 16, 2020 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Lady Bulldogs (5-0) vs. Georgia State Panthers (3-1)
Thursday, Dec. 17 | 7 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523 - capacity around 20% this season) | Athens, Ga.
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler) 1340-AM and 98.7 FM WGAU
TV: None
Video Stream: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart (play-by-play)/Mark Slonaker (analyst)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com

JONI TAYLOR - HEAD COACH

SIXTH SEASON // RECORD: 103-58 (.638)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2018 Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year Semifinalist
Two-time Atlanta Tip-Off Club Georgia College Coach of the Year
2016 Spalding Maggie Dixon National Rookie Coach of the Year
Three WNBA Draft picks
Led Georgia to a 26-7 record in 2017-18, marking the team's most wins in a single season since 2006-07
Georgia hosted the NCAA first and second rounds in Athens for first time since 2003 during the 2017-18 campaign
Five All-SEC honorees and two SEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Created the award-winning Beyond Basketball group

No.	Name	PPG	RPG
Georgia Lady Bulldogs Most Recent Starters
2	Gabby Connally	12.4	2.4
G; 5-6; Sr.; San Antonio, Texas
23	Que Morrison	11.2	4.4
G; 5-7; Sr.; Riverale, Ga.
11	Maya Caldwell	7.0	3.6
G; 5-11; Sr.; Charlotte, N.C.
20	Jordan Isaacs	4.4	3.6
F; 6-0; So.; Alpharetta, Ga.
14	Jenna Staiti	14.8	7.8
C; 6-4; R-Sr.; Cumming, Ga.

Women's Basketball Fan Attendance Policy

Due to social distancing protocols, Stegeman Coliseum will be operating at a reduced capacity of approximately 20% with ticket opportunities in blocks of two or four seats only.
Fans will be required to wear face masks at all times while in Stegeman Coliseum.
No fans are allowed on the court level of Stegeman.
All seating is reserved for the 2020-2021 women's basketball season.
Tickets are mobile for the 2020-21 season. Tickets for this game ARE still available. Visit www.georgiadogs.com/tickets to purchase a mobile ticket.

Opening Tip Storylines

The undefeated Georgia Lady Bulldogs host Georgia State at 7 p.m. ET Thursday inside Stegeman Coliseum. The game will air on SEC Network +.
Jeff Dantzler will call the contest on the Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network, which is available in Athens on 1340-AM and 98.7 FM.
Georgia and Georgia State are both on win streaks entering Thursday's game. The Lady Bulldogs have won five-straight games and are 5-0 this season, while the Panthers have won three-consecutive contests for a 3-1 record.
The Lady Bulldogs -- who are now receiving votes in the Associated Press poll -- are off to their best start in three seasons. The 2017-18 squad began the year 7-0 on its way to a 26-7 record and second place finish in the SEC standings.
Georgia opened the year with three-straight road games for the first time since the 2002-03 season. With a perfect 3-0 record in those matchups, it is the first time in program history Georgia won three-straight true road contests to begin a season.
Georgia State has defeated Tennessee State, Furman and Life University in its last three games. Taylor Hosendove leads her team with 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. She is the only Panther to average double figures in scoring. Georgia State is coached by Gene Hill, a former NC State who is in his third season as head coach.
Former Lady Bulldog star Sherill Baker is an assistant coach at Georgia State. Baker was a 2006 AP All-American and the National Defensive Player of the Year to highlight her decorated career at UGA.
Senior center Jenna Staiti has now scored in double figures in 13 of her last 14 games with five double-doubles. Staiti leads Georgia with 14.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. She also averages an SEC-best 3.0 blocks per game.
Following Thursday's game, Georgia hosts Furman and Appalachian State to close out the non-conference schedule before Christmas break.

Series History

Overall: Georgia leads, 17-10
In Athens: Georgia leads, 9-4
In Atlanta: Georgia leads, 8-6
Neutral Sites: 0-0
Current Streak: Georgia has won 16-straight
Last Meeting: Georgia won, 70-58 (12/1/13) in Athens
Largest Margin of Victory: 55 points, Georgia won 92-37 (12/12/94) in Atlanta
Largest Defeat: 28 points, Georgia State won 74-46 (2/5/79) in Atlanta
Full Series History

Offensive Improvement

The Lady Bulldogs are a much improved team on the offensive end compared to last season. Georgia is averaging 77.0 points per game in 2020 after scoring just 63.2 points per contest last year. The team has scored over 80 points two times through the first five matchups. Last season, the Lady Bulldogs scored 80 or more points twice in 31 contests.

Barker Named SEC Freshman of the Week

Sarah Ashlee Barker was named the league's Freshman of the Week following performances against East Carolina and Oklahoma. Barker continues to play valuable minutes and has made several key plays for the Lady Bulldogs this season.

With 2:19 left in the overtime period against Georgia Tech, Barker broke open a tie game with a made jump shot to put her team up 65-63. The Lady Bulldogs did not give up the lead the rest of the way en route to a 75-69 win. Barker then hit a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma, giving Georgia its largest lead of the game at 14.

Georgia Reaches 1,000-Win Milestone

With its win against East Carolina on Dec. 3, Georgia became one of just two SEC programs (Tennessee) and one of 16 nationwide to reach the 1,000-win mark. The team commemorated the milestone with a special social media video narrated by Andy Landers and Joni Taylor.

Taylor, Connally Reach Important Marks Against Tech Georgia defeated Georgia Tech this year to improve the Lady Bulldogs' record to 36-7 against the Yellow Jackets. The win also marked the 100th of Coach Taylor's career. Senior guard Gabby Connally reached the 1,000-point mark with a first-half basket against Tech.

Best Shooting Effort Since 2009

Georgia's offense got off to a good start against Mercer. The Lady Bulldogs finished the game hitting 32-of-53 shots (60.4 percent), marking the team's best single-game shooting percentage since March 5, 2009 against Kentucky (63.4 percent) -- a span of 11 seasons.

The Lady Bulldogs knocked in 8-of-10 (80 percent) field goals in the fourth quarter against the Bears. Eight of the 11 Lady Bulldogs who played hit 50 percent or better from the field.

Staiti's Streak

Jenna Staiti had one of the best late season stretches of any player in the SEC last season, averaging 19.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game over the last nine contests. That trend has continued into the 2020-21 campaign. She has now scored in double figures in 13 of her last 14 games, has five double-doubles and is a perfect 15-for-15 from the free-throw line this season.

Staiti Among Georgia's All-time Best Shot blockers

With 133 blocks, Jenna Staiti has moved past Anne-Marie Armstrong for 10th place on Georgia's career blocked shots chart. She needs just eight more to tie Porsha Phillips in ninth place with 141 blocks. Tawana McDonald owns the UGA career record with 297 in her career.

Staiti Steady at the Stripe

Jenna Staiti filled up the stat sheet with double-figure scoring efforts and double-doubles in her last nine games of the 2019-20 season. What might have gone unnoticed was Staiti's performance at the free-throw line. Staiti finished the year hitting 89 percent from the stripe -- good for the second-best single season average in Georgia history.

Connally Approaching Career Top-10

Georgia senior Gabby Connally is just two made 3-pointers away from reaching the career top-10. She has totaled 142 made shots from behind the arc in her career and needs a pair to move into a 10th-place tie with Alexis Kendrick.

Georgia Returns Experienced Team

The last time Georgia had this much experience on its roster was back during the 2017-18 season when the team went 26-7 on its way to a second-place finish in the SEC standings. In 2018-19, Georgia had the youngest team in the SEC, while last year it had to replace its top two scorers.

The Lady Bulldogs now return over 90 percent of their scoring and 88 percent of their rebounding, including four starters and 10 total letterwinners.

Building Off Strong Finish

Georgia finished the 2019-20 season on a high note, winning four of its final six regular season games and five of eight overall. Among the big wins during the final stretch was a 73-56 road victory at LSU -- a game in which the Lady Bulldogs led the entire way. Georgia also knocked off Alabama and Florida twice during the stretch-run of the season.

Focus On Community

Georgia's Joni Taylor has put a focus on community service during her six seasons as head coach. This past fall, Taylor and her team took action once again by hosting a Water Bottle Drive for the local Boys and Girls Club of Athens. The community stepped up in a big way, donating close to 150 water bottles.

"We were absolutely blown away by the turnout," Taylor said. "COVID-19 has affected all of our lives in so many ways. For the Boys and Girls Club, COVID protocols eliminated the use of water fountains, so the organization needed new, re-fillable water bottles. When our ladies found out about this, they immediately wanted to help. I could not be more proud of their efforts and the efforts of all those who came by today. It's another step forward in making a meaningful impact in our community."

Chapman Best in the State

Two-sport star Chloe Chapman was named the Atlanta Sports Awards State of Georgia College Athlete of the Year this past summer. Chapman, who also plays soccer at UGA, is just the 11th Bulldog student-athlete to earn the honor. She received over 50,000 votes during the seven-day voting period back in July.

Chapman placed on the 2019 SEC All-Freshman Team in soccer before earning a spot in the lineup on the basketball floor.

Two-Sport Star in Rare Company

Chapman is one of only six Lady Bulldogs to play two sports while at UGA. Below is a list of these elite athletes.

All-Time Lady Bulldog Two-Sport Athletes

Tina Price -- 1975-78 -- Women's basketball/Tennis
Donna Noonan – 1975-77 – Women's basketball/Golf
Beth Timmons – 2000 – Women's basketball/Swimming
Maria Taylor – 2007 -- Women's basketball/Volleyball
Stephanie Paul – 2019-20 – Women's basketball/Track (discus)
Chloe Chapman – present – Women's basketball/Soccer

Georgia Seniors Earn Degrees

Each of Georgia's four seniors -- Gabby Connally, Maya Caldwell, Que Morrison and Jenna Staiti -- will wear the SEC graduate patch this season after earning their degrees. The four Lady Bulldogs are all pursuing master's degrees, with Connally focusing on public administration, Cadwell in non-profit management and leadership, and Morrison and Staiti in sport pedagogy.

Georgia Led League in Honor Roll Selections

The Georgia Lady Bulldogs led all Southeastern Conference basketball teams (women or men) with nine players on the league's Academic Honor Roll this past winter.

Each winter, student-athletes from across the conference are recognized for having a 3.0 GPA or above for either the preceding academic year or a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

The following Lady Bulldogs reached the above criteria. Malury Bates (Human Development, Roanake, Va.), Maya Caldwell (Communication Studies, Charlotte, N.C.), Gabby Connally (Criminal Justice, San Antonio, Texas), Ari Henderson (Civil Engineering, Stone Mountain, Ga.), Caitlin Hose (Financial Planning, Hazel Green, Ala.), Kaila Hubbard (Psychology, Jonesboro, Ga.), Que Morrison (Communication Studies, Riverdale, Ga.), Stephanie Paul (Sport Management, Naples, Fla.) , Jenna Staiti (Human Development, Cumming, Ga.).

One of Peach State's Best Joins 2021 Signing Class

Jillian Hollingshead, a 6-foot-5 forward from Powder Springs, Ga., added to an already impressive 2021 signing class for the Lady Bulldogs. She was the fourth signee of Georgia's class, joining fellow top-40 prospect Reigan Richardson (Huntersville, N.C.) as well as Alina Sendar (Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Kimora 'Kimmie' Jenkins (Long Island, N.Y.).

Hollingshead was ranked as the No. 5 forward in the nation according to espnW and was also ranked No. 22 in the ESPN HoopGurlz Terrific 25 for the 2021 class.

FOLLOW THE LADY BULLDOGS

For more information on the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, follow the team on Twitter (@UGA_WBB), Instagram (@uga_wbb) and Facebook (Facebook.com/UGAWomensBasketball).